


Blind Mans Bluff

by himitsuko



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Naruto
Genre: Gen, How Do I Tag, Is It Hyūga or Hyuuga?, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sentient-ish Earth, Sporadic Updates, That’s not the reason, The Earth Likes Toph, Toph Doesn't Abide by Canon, Toph is a Sensor, i'll add tags as i go, there is a reason
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:07:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22784581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/himitsuko/pseuds/himitsuko
Summary: I took Toph and threw her in Naruto.Passing away after a long, fulfilling life, Toph was content to leave things be.Her children grown, her grandchildren well on their way, her students had passed on her teachings, and she had even managed to get twinkle toes to grow a backbone.It was a good life...Too bad it's not over.With a whole new world to explore, Toph is determined to escape the confines of her new family and avoid the notice of the village....Right after finding her missing clan members and stopping a mass murder. She's not about to let that pass while she's here.
Comments: 88
Kudos: 545





	1. New World, New Family, Same Eyes

The last thing Toph remembered was lazing on a comfortable spot of earth and feeling the world fade away. Toph had known what was happening, It was different from falling asleep. Sleeping had those subconscious thoughts of "What if i don't wake up?" "What if something happens while I'm asleep?", before being dismissed as ridiculous fears.

This.This was almost comforting in it's assurance of permanence. No more waiting, no more being left behind. 

Toph was the last member left of Team Avatar and their group of friends. It wouldn't do to give them any reason to call her a slowpoke.

Too bad the world didn't get the memo.

* * *

Hyūga Ren was born into this world on October 30th to Haruto and Akari Hyūga. Although born premature, Ren was a fairly easy labor. Small and healthy, with a full head of dark hair and the right number of fingers and toes, she was perfect.

The new parents didn't think anything was wrong until a few weeks later when Akari noticed Ren wasn't quite focusing. Concerned, they brought their daughter to the clan clinic. The clinic was situated in between the main house and clan training grounds, a five minute walk from their home on the outer end of the compund. 

Hyūga Hitoshi was a middle aged man who deemed it too early to tell if Rens vision was impaired, as babies typically didn't have great eyesight, added to Ren being premature, he theorized that her eyes may not have been fully developed prior to birth and was now playing catch-up like the rest of her body. 

"For now just watch her. If you notice any leakage bring her in immediately, that's a sign of infection. If she doesn't start focusing in the upcoming months bring her back and we'll go from there." Hitoshi instructed the worried parents.

"Thank You Hitoshi-San, we'll be sure to keep a close watch." Confirmed Haruto, bowing to the doctor with his wife beside him holding Ren. 

* * *

Hyūga Himari adored her new granddaughter. With Akari and Haruto both active shinobi, they could only take off for so long before they had to start taking missions again. That left Grandma Himari to look after little Ren. After two kids of her own, Himari knew Ren was a little off. 

Clan children were just a little different than civilian children, they developed just a little bit faster. Being surrounded by chakra using clan members led the children to picking up the feel of chakra, resulting in them finding thier own and using it sooner then their civilian neighbors. Upbringing wasn't the only difference, biologically clan children were different. For example their dojutsu, or the Inuzukas enhanced sense of smell.

By all means little Ren should be able to focus on her surroundings by now. It was concerning, Rens lack of attention to her surroundings. The whole clan heard how little Neji had just recently started to crawl at almost six months. 

Although, Himari huffs, looking down at the baby in her arms, moving doesn't seem to be a problem for little Ren. Her little legs trying their best to kick off the blanket she was wrapped in, face scrunching up in frustration.

Himari just held her securely and hummed a lullaby, rocking to lull the baby back to sleep. Little Rens head tilted, as if to better hear, before dropping to doze on her chest.

* * *

Akari was the one to take Ren back to the clinic, at three and a half months and still no signs of being able to see her surroundings, it was more than a little alarming.

After checking in with the receptionist; they were led to the back room where the doctor waited. Fortunately it was still doctor Hitoshi, she wouldn't have to explain their first visit. 

Akari handed Ren over with a hopeful smile, praying the doctor would find the problem and fix it. As a Hyūga clan doctor and member, he knew the importance of their eyes, and would have taken special care to learn how to treat the eyes. the only reason he couldn't before was because Ren was too young, too new, too underdeveloped. 

He would be able to help this time, Akari watched as Dr.Hitoshi looked over Ren with a too blank face, and her gut clenched.

* * *

Blind.

Her little Ren was blind. She'd had hope that it wasn't that bad. That maybe they could get her glasses, and while not the best scenario, it would be doable. But being blind erased almost any future as a shinobi.

Himari looked down at the baby fussing in her arms, with the way Akari had all but thrown little Ren into her arms, it had probably not been a pleasant trip back. Sighing, Himari stood up from her comfy spot next to the window, making her way to the kitchen to prepare a fresh bottle. 

Deciding a nap would be good after eating, Himari made her way to her room, little Ren held to her chest, and bottle in hand. The first hallway out of the kitchen had three doors, two on the right, one on the left. The one on the right was a bathroom, then her bedroom. In between those doors and on the opposite wall was a closet. At the end of the hall was another hallway containing two more bedrooms, little Rens, and her parents.

Pausing in the front of her door, Himari listened to the silence of the house. Akari had holed herself up in her room to wait for Haruto. Only coming out to grab him as soon as he walked through the door. There was muffled talking, a stricken silence, and then the yelling started. It didn't last long, quickly quieted to avoid unwanted attention. Then a fast shuffle of clothes and heavy footsteps heralded their departure, monotonous mumbling followed them out without a glance at her or little Ren. 

Himari had caught the words "Ren" and "Blind" and connected the dots from there.

Stepping into her room and sliding her door shut behind her with a few free fingers on the hand holding the bottle, she sat down on her bed and placated little Ren with her bottle and a soft lullaby.

It wasn't going to be easy for her little Ren in the future, but she would always have her support, Himari thought with a frown. A frown that slowly turned into a vicious quirk of her lips. If her little Rens parents didn't want to mess with her, then she would just have to guide her herself.  
And that would have to be enough for now, after all she didn't use to be an shinobi for nothing.

* * *

Toph's first memories in this new world were fuzzy.

Literally. Everything was fuzzy, she couldn't see, and her feet couldn't find anything stable enough to feel through. Without her 'sight' she couldn't get a grasp on her surroundings. 

It left her feeling very stressed out the first couple of months, forcing her to rely on her sense of hearing and muffled touch. It reminded her of when she was young and had been truly blind, lost in the empty darkness. But at least then she could reach out her arms, or ask others about her environment, now she was stuck relying on others to take care of her after having looked out for herself for most of her life.

She had eventually puzzled out that she had been reborn somewhere foreign. The language spoken was different that what she was use to and had taken a while to decipher, immersion and necessity once more proving to be the best teachers.

Her parents seemed to always be busy, often leaving her with her "Grandma Himari", the older woman was nice though, very attentive. It had been a hard pill to swallow and accept that she needed the help of the woman who, although considered "older" here, was still at least thirty years her junior. Or at least she would have been.

Because she was a baby. 

She, Toph Beifong, The Greatest Earthbender, Chief of Police, the Founder of Metalbending and its academy, reduced to a small feeble baby.


	2. Twinkle Toes, Twinkle Toes, Twinkle Toes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little time skip.  
> There is cursing, they are shinobi, they're going to pick up words.  
> This kind of turned into a info dump, i didn't mean to do that sorry.
> 
> Talking is hard, Games are fun, and Toph earns her runaway title again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm switching Hyūga to Hyuuga, it's easier for me to write. I'll go back and change chapter 1 when I have the time.
> 
> *I’m sorry for the wall of text at the bottom, I don’t know how to fix it. It’s not showing up that way when I go to edit it, it has properly spaced paragraphs, so I’m not sure what I need to do to fix it.
> 
> **I fixed the wall of text. It’s fine now.

Word spread through out the Hyuuga compound about the unfortunate couple. Their child only whispered about behind closed doors, as if talking any louder would draw unwanted attention. Since very few outside the compound knew about Hyuuga Ren —her parents coworkers and a few of the hospital staff— it was easy for her to simply fade into the background. With her parents coworkers busy with missions, and the hospital in constant motion (after all, no war didn't mean no injuries), it wasn't hard to be forgotten by the world outside the compound. 

For the proud Hyuuga clan, having a child born blind was not welcome news. Especially not after the recent birth of the second child of the Uchiha head, while the Hyuuga still had no heir. 

So, no. It was best to be forgotten, lest the main house decide to do something to fix this slight on their pride.

* * *

Asahi watched as Ren flopped over on a cushion in the middle of the living room. Moving slowly so as to not draw her attention and accidentally start another round of "playing", he lowered himself in the chair with a clear view of the child.

He had been assigned to babysit the small girl for the day as her parents were out on missions, and her grandmother had a full day of errands to finish. As he had broken a rib recently, he had been assigned to "light duty", which for the Hyuuga meant menial tasks such as looking after the younger members when needed. Which resulted in him meeting this problem child.

The day had started off well enough, Asahi had a good breakfast and met with Hyuuga Himari to discuss Rens schedule and needs. While Ren had become a rather notorious name in the compound, he didn't know the specifics of how to look after a blind child. Himari-san assured him that Ren was a well behaved child, just to watch out as "Her little Ren had discovered how to crawl and now hated to leave the floor". Then she passed him the little girl and went on her way.

Well behaved his ass. He knew a few other genin had already watched over the girl in the past, they had left with a few hairs out of place (frazzled for a Hyuuga) and resolutely closed lips. Sometimes they grouped up and seemed to discuss something with great intensity before dispersing. Now he knew, at least a part of what left them frazzled. This child was an incoherent bossy brat.

She was perfectly well behaved in front of her grandmother, then Himari-san left and he was left to navigate the whims of this blind child. 

Ren had the usual straight face most Hyuuga tended to share (himself included), then she started to get a little scrunched up spot between her eyebrows and somehow managed to convey "heavily displeased" through an unfocused glare. Then came the _babbling_. 

" Hmm Tha-" She had wiggled in his arms, nearly kicking his still tender rib, getting the blanket to release one arm and pointed at nothing. He had given her a look before remembering, right, blind, she couldn't see him or point at what she wants. 

Asahi hoped those cryptography lessons translated baby babble. 

The following hours had him running to and fro around the house, he had made the mistake of setting Ren down when he needed two hands to make her something to eat. Now she wouldn't let him pick her up, and made increasingly frustrated noises every time he tried to get a hold of her. 

Then came further "hunting" for whatever she wanted but couldn't vocalize, and after that were the "games".

Namely one game that she seemed to really enjoy, hide and seek. Without telling him _he_ was _it_. 

For a blind girl who could only crawl, she could really disappear in the blink of an eye.

* * *

Toph sat and watched from her position on the blessed floor as the young genin slowly succumbed to exhaustion. She had been demanding his constant attention all morning, making him run to and fro with pointed fingers and incoherent babble. Then she herded him towards the comfy chair in the living room, conveniently placed right in a sun beam, making it the perfect place to take a nap. 

Toph had laid down on a cushion in the middle of the room, and bid her time. The genin couldn't see her face from his position, but watching the steady rise and fall of her breathing, assumed she tired herself out and fell asleep. Not wanting to move her for fear of waking her up, he just let her be. 

She focused on him, and watched as his head stated to droop and dip, finally falling to rest on his chest.

She waited a few more minutes before crawling backwards, into the kitchen, to the cracked back door. It had taken some time to lead her sitter out of the living room, sneak back in to crack the door to allow a slight breeze to filter through the house. Some of the older sitters had noticed the change and woken up to close the sliding door. Better to get them use to it before changing their environment on them while they were asleep. 

Toph slipped out the door, thankful for her small size, only to nearly collapse on the closest patch of dirt. Allowing the ground to soften, she quickly sank into the comforting embrace of the earth. She almost let out a relieved sigh, only to silence it, she didn't need anyone hearing her. Weird chi users and their super senses. 

Flashback

When Toph had finally been put down and she had her first solid look at the world around her, she immediately noticed that her range was a lot smaller than she was use to. Then she had nearly fallen over from what her seismic sense was telling her. For a split second she had thought twinkle toes was nearby, she quickly dismissed that thought, there were too many people.

An air bender family? No, her family didn't bend, at least not like normal benders did anyway. Instead they twisted and molded their chi (or chakra, she heard the people here use that word often) through handsigns instead of full body motions. And apparently _everybody_ is the avatar now, because she can feel the different effects a single person can have on their surroundings, and they didn't make any sense. 

Flashback Done

Since then Toph had been studying her surroundings and the people around her every chance she got, not that she could do much else. Her grasp of the language was adequate, if only her mouth would move like she tells it to. 

Her parents couldn’t stand to be in the same room as her, a constant reminder of the shame she brought. Leaving her with grandma Himari, who has been taking quite a few days off her care taking duties as of late. Although, that could be because of this little "game" they're playing.

* * *

Toph started escaping her sitters since the get go. She had been exploring her surroundings and new every way out and every place she could earthbend out without anybody noticing. 

So, when grandma Himari had to leave one day and Toph had been left with an older Genin (her grandmother had introduced him as Genin Sato), she decided it was a great time to go outside. While the blessedly solid floor was amazing, the earth beat wood panels any day.

After ditching the distracted Genin who was making them food, assuming she wasn't going to move, or if she did, not to go very far. Toph inched her way to the side door, behind Sato, and slipped out. Knowing the dirt ground was only a step away, she practically threw herself onto the hard, solid ground. She relaxed into the earth, feeling a connection, a bond, snap into place and grow stronger, present in the way it hasn't been since she found herself here. The earth welcoming and soothing any thoughts about losing her bending, a part of herself that had saved her before.

While she still had her seismic sense, there had been a slowly creeping, lingering fear the longer she had been unable to confirm that her earth bending had stuck with her in this new life.

"What if, although she still had her seismic sense, what if the earth wasn't responsive anymore?" If she had only retained a part of her old abilities, while illogical as you couldn't have one without the other, fears are rarely logical and this one had picked at her mind the last few months.

She still had her bending, but now she had to wonder why? Why was she born with her memories and old abilities? Why was she born into this world? Because she was going to take a guess that this wasn't her previous world. She had pieced together a few things about this world from snippets of conversations and her grandmothers musings.

First things first, this place had "shinobi", who seemed to be mercenaries trained from young. Her absent parents were Chūnin, a fairly respectable position, if not very high up. The ranks seemed to start from the "academy", after the academy was Genin, then Chūnin, then Jōnin. After Jōnin it was a little iffy, there seemed to be other rankings that weren't talked about much, until finally, at the top was the Hokage. The Hokage who the people could not stop praising for ending the war, and leading a new era of peace despite his young age.

The second thing she learned was that her new family had some sort of ocular ability and her being blind turned out to be a big problem, causing her to be shut away and forgotten. Toph huffed, not like that was anything new.

Not wanting to think about that just yet, she turned her focus to her surroundings.

Their house was located in the outer ring of residential buildings in what seemed to be a gated compound. It was a nice three bedroom house with a small garden in the back. The compound reminded her of the old Beifong mansion in Gaoling, if they had had more surviving family members and a large extended family housed around their central home.

Currently her "vision" was greatly limited in range, only spreading to about half the compound. From what she could tell, there was a large central house towards the center of the compound, with large empty rooms, an admirable garden on the side and what seemed to be a private training field. Nearby was a small clinic, a building for storage, and single family homes positioned through out the area. The houses closer to the central house were larger and tended to house smaller families compared to the houses farther away. Training grounds peppered the area, ranging from large to small, with a water source or without, some seemed to only be frequented by older "shinobi".

That was another thing, despite how normal her surroundings felt, the people were not. They all had chi that they used both similar and distinctly different than benders. She seemed to have been born into a militaristic family, and could see older family members teaching the younger members the same fighting style that was apparently used by everyone here. Directing their chi through out their bodies and expelling it from certain points, namely their feet and hands, specifically their fingers. Not to mention the numerous weapons held in storage, and carried by the majority of the surrounding people, used in target practice and mock fights.

In a nearby training ground Toph watched as two "Chūnin" sparred. She could hear the audience talk about how fast the "new Chūnin" were fighting. She could feel the audience (children, most likely academy students) hold their breaths, tensely standing at attention, and completely focused on the sparring Chūnin. Turning her attention to the Chūnin, she watched as they fought.

Synchronized movements to a dance they both new all the steps to. Like mirror images, they both charged in, hands striking out to tag and deflect. One of the Chūnin ducked low and charged forwards in an attempt at catching his opponent off guard. The other Chūnin, this one had a slimmer build, jumped back just in time, managing to land a few hits on the others outstretched left arm and shoulder. 

Following through, the first Chūnin rolled to the right side, falling into a one handed hand-stand and clipped his opponent in the chin with the heel of his sandal, giving him enough time to re-orientate himself and get back into position. They both settled into their starting stances, right side drawn back with the left side forward. Although the first Chūnins arm was now limp, hanging uselessly at his side. 

Toph knew those attacks looked familiar, the jabbing motions, the limp arm, they were chi blocking each other! This was the fighting style the whole family was taught, it was like another family of Ty Lees!

Toph was brought out of her musings when she heard footsteps from inside the house, bringing her attention back to Sato. She could see him in the kitchen, making a hand sign and slowly scanning around himself in a circle. She felt his eyes settle on her and he seemed to relax. Only now Toph was confused, she was out of view from the kitchen, but he had found her, and was now coming to get her. How did he know were she was? she had felt his eyes on her, through the wall! did he have seismic sense too? No, then he wouldn't have had to physically look around. It had something to do with his eyes, she was sure of it. Was this the ocular ability of her new family? 

Possibly. She would have to ask her grandmother. Toph promised herself to somehow ask the question as Sato brought her back inside the house, firmly closing the door behind him.

* * *

The next time a Genin was assigned to watch over her, grandma Himari had a doctors appointment, and Toph was determined to bury herself in the earth. She has been dirt-free for too long, and needed to surround herself in her element. 

This time the Genin was a teenage girl named Sachi, and had made it quite clear that she didn't want to be watching over the blind Hyuuga. But that was okay, Toph didn't want to be looked after, she just needed to get outside. So when she tugged at Sachis leg, pointed at the door, and babbled about "Ouw Sssid." The girl didn't hesitate to brush her off, stepping away as if she were bad luck, before grumbling about it being too early to be up, and how training yesterday was too long, and she didn't have the time to waste looking after a blind baby.

The girl yawned before settling down in the chair by the window, early morning sunlight beginning to shine in. She seemed to think so long as Toph didn't make noise, and nothing pressing was happening, she was content to leave her on her own. Toph didn't mind that one bit. 

She did wait until Sachi was at least dozing, before crawling to the kitchen and sliding the door open just enough for her to slip through. A light breeze blew in and Toph froze when Sachi shifted, looking around absentmindedly for a second before shrugging and falling back asleep. Letting out a near silent sigh, and causing Sachi to shift again (Stupid Sensitive ninja senses), Toph was out the door and sinking into the ground.

Thinking about being completely surrounded by earth caused a panel of earth to rise up, at the same time the ground under her sunk and all of a sudden she was falling, as if through a revolving door, into a small pocket in the earths embrace. 

That.  
That was new. While Before the earth had been quick to move at her call, near effortless to direct, she had never been put in the position where the earth seemed to move of its own volition. As if attentive to her thoughts, and eager to help. Toph would have to investigate this more. Later. For now, she just wanted to relax in the comforting coolness of being under ground. 

A nice nap, and hours later, Toph awoke to the feel of rushing feet. Focusing, she could see Sachi speed walking around the house, feeling increasingly panicked. Her heart rate was speeding up and her head swiveled every which way, looking for Toph. She checked each room, sweeping through the kitchen and missing the door being cracked. Sachi made and hand sign and Toph felt something change, and then made another round through the house, looking under anything and everything, no matter if it was unreasonable. 

Toph felt Sachis heart beat stutter when she finally noticed the side door cracked, rushing out and scanning the surrounding area. Slowly walking around the house, making sure nothing escaped her notice. Except she never thought to look down, under ground, where Toph watched her _squirm_.

Deciding to let Sachi look for a while longer, Toph focused on her seismic sense to find something to amuse her. She found many knives (ahem, kunai) around the nearby training field, and allowed the earth to swallow the kunai and bring them to her. She held one in her hands -it was far too big for her small hands- and slowly felt all around the kunai. From the circle on the hilt, to the wrapped handle, and the elongated pyramid shaped blade. The blade was kind of like a diamond shape, if one end was stretched and the other rounded into a cylinder for the handle. After fixing the image in her mind, the metal blade in her hands seemed to liquefy, and began forming a smaller kunai in her hands. The handle set to fit her hand, and the blade a little shorter than her forearm. 

Toph contenplated the kunai in her hand, before she hadn't really used standard weapons, usually making things on the fly, like her gauntlets or her metal wire. She sighed, setting down the kunai in the small pile of larger kunai and searching for more things left in the training grounds. 

By the time a half hour passed, Toph had a nice collection of various forgotten tools. She remolded the kunai and shuriken to fit her hands, and merged many left over pieces of wire into a long chord. She also amassed a decent pile of metal coins, and random lost pieces of jewelry. One bracelet in particular caught her attention, it was a simple band, with a small blade hidden underneath and symbols engraved on the top.

Toph recalled her "Mother" had been looking for a lost bracelet, she hadn't had much time to look for it before being sent off on another mission. She supposed she could put it somewhere easy to find.

It had been a gift from her grandmother after all.

* * *

Grandma Himari huffed and smiled down at her little Ren, watching as the little girl tried to sneak around her and discretely plant her mothers bracelet somewhere easily overlooked but also easy to stumble upon. 

The little Genin girl, Sachi, had looked entirely too flustered to have been properly looking after her little Ren. But Ren hadn't tried to get the girl in trouble, so she left it alone. 

Also her little Ren had looked quite happy, with messed up hair, and dirt on her clothes.

Although, she had to wonder where Little Ren had found the bracelet, after all, she had been looking for it too.

* * *

The third time grandma Himari left Toph in the hands of Genin Sato, she had been complaining about losing a pair of tessen. They had been lost at different times, and grandma Himari was quite sad to lose them, as they had been a gift from her late husband.

Toph had wondered how her grandmother had lost a pair of tessen, as the metal fans had probably been put up before this. For a minute Toph wondered if this was on purpose, though why her grandmother would hide her tessen Toph didn't rightly know.

Her grandmother wasn't planning on staying out late, it was just a quick trip to the store and to maybe pick up something for dinner. 

Sato had settled down with a book in the window chair, while Toph was left to amuse herself with what few toys she had on the living room floor. Her rubber kunai and wooden building blocks went ignored as Toph laid on the floor, head on a cushion, and focused on her seismic sense, trying to locate the missing tessen.

She found the first one quickly, it was down the hall in the closet. The second one was a bit farther than that, it was outside in a bush as though someone had dropped it there. 

Thinking quickly, she put her plan into action. Meaning, she crawled over to Sato, tugged on his pants, pointed at nothing, and irritatingly babbled in increasingly higher pitches until he got up to find out what had her so worked up. He had taken a second to adapt to the change in attitude since his first time watching her, but got with the game pretty fast. 

Her babbling only got worse from there, as did her pointing. It was amusing watching Sato run around trying to figure out what the problem was. Toph had to stop a smirk, It had been entirely too long since she had properly ordered someone around.

Eventually after trying to feed her, distract her with toys, and coax her into a nap, Sato gave up and slumped next to her, his long hair tickling her cheek. She reached up and grabbed a lock. Sato jerked his head to her in what was probably horror. His eyes widened slightly, heart rate sped up, and his large hands rose to try and coax her into letting go of his hair. Letting out a long stream of soothing and pleading words in a low tone, his hands trying to gently free his hair from her grip. She finally released him after watching him panic for a bit. Sato sighed and closed his eyes in relief when she seemingly lost interest in his hair, crawling away into the hallway. 

Sato opened his eyes to watch her crawl off, probably deciding to catch up in a minute. Enough time to get the tessen out of the closet and across the hall into her grandmothers room.

She quickly moved the tessen, using her metal bending to make it easier to carry, and crawled back to were Sato had started to get up from his spot on the living room floor. She motioned to her mouth and he seemed to understand, heading to the kitchen to make them lunch. 

Toph slid open the sliding door and sat down, her feet touching the ground. Sato turned to look at her, but at seeing her still form, decided there was no danger in sitting in the cool air. Turning back around to finish making a quick lunch, Toph was left to focus on her earth bending. She had a firm image in mind (she finds it helps when directing this new over responsive earth) of the a bit of wire from her stash hidden underground to come up and wrap around the tessen in the bushes, and quietly drag it underground. Then she wanted it delivered to her like the lost tools from the nearby training grounds. 

Grabbing the tessen out of the ground, Toph bended any dirt off the tessen, leaving it shiny and dirt-free. She then wandered back in the house to deposit the second tessen with the first on her grandmothers bed. Both Tessen looking shiny and well taken care of.

Job well done Toph went to go eat her lunch. 

* * *

Since then her grandmother would sometimes mention something missing, before taking a day to go shopping for anything they needed. The lost items ending up in more difficult to reach places, but Toph always found them and left them in her grandmothers room for her to find. Neither had really talked to the other about their little game, but it was okay, this worked for them. It was fun for Toph, a challenge, to see if she could do things without her bending or new ways to be subtle with it. And it was fun for her grandmother, who seemed to be enjoying trying to find new hiding spots and things to hide. 

Todays object was a wakizashi, and Toph had already found it in the tree near the training field. A bit farther that usual, but nothing she couldn't handle, it went unspoken that Toph couldn't be seen or caught finding the missing objects.

Using the revolving ground, Toph fell into a small tunnel. It led to the tree the wakizashi was in, she stumbled her way through the tunnel, the earth providing support for her stumbling steps. Once under the tree Toph let out a piece of wire to wrap around the wakizashi, like the tessen from their first game, it gently lowered it to the ground where they both sank, right into Tophs waiting hands.

Looks like that was all for this game.

* * *


	3. Nightmare at the Market, and New Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chi and Chakra are different for all their similarities.  
> And Toph meets some new people.

Her chi felt weird. Toph mused, once again safely ensconced underground. 

With a recently missing set of (scattered) shuriken easily reclaimed and properly put away in her grandmothers bedroom, and the genin Asahi in a state of panic, she let her thoughts wander while absently playing with a spool of ninja wire.

It felt heavier, somehow, like it had more _Subtsance_ than before. She huffed, molding the metal into a sphere, and thought, as much as this body was _hers_ , it was also _different_. She was still blind, eyes still unseeing, but they were shaped differently, a bit sharper than before. Her hair was still ebony (She heard Sachi comparing it to her own dark brown), but it felt thinner than she was use to. Her skin was still fair, but more alabaster than porcelain (also only known due to Sachis complaints). And while she usually didn't care about her looks, it was still a part of her body, and Toph _missed_ her old body. 

She missed not needing help. She missed her muscles. She missed not having to _pretend_ that she was blind.

Toph had left that part of her life with her parents in Gaoling.

But.  
Grandma Himari didn't treat her like an invalid. She still left people to watch her, yes. But that was only because of her age. She sure didn't shy away from hiding anything in hard to reach places. More often then not things were 'lost' out of reach or sight of normal people. Once a kunai had been hidden in a tree, hanging by wire, twelve feet in the air. She also didn't worry about hiding weapons from Toph, but whether that was a grandma Himari thing or a ninja thing, Toph didn't know.

The Genin assigned to watch her, did so with more suspicion and exasperation than anything else. It was getting harder to escape their notice at least, more of a challenge. 

Toph grinned, and the ball started to flatten, one side rounded and the other became teeth. She pulled her new comb though her jaw length hair, still too short to properly put up. 

She still had her bending, the strange eagerness of the ground left unexplained (maybe it had something to do with this new world? or her new family?), and while her chi felt different, she supposes she could just chalk it up to it having changed from _chi_ to _chakra_. From what Toph had learned (from her grandmother and overheard lessons), chakra was made by mixing physical and spiritual energies. Then molded, usually by hand signs, and expelled from the body to produce an effect.* 

Chi on the other hand, was mostly made up of spiritual energies. The chi was directed through body movements and extended beyond the body to interact with the environment. 

Both very similar, but still _different_. If she focused, Toph could feel her _chakra_ , her spiritual side larger and much more familiar, while the "physical" side was smaller and felt _heavy_ somehow. While bending, her physical side remained untouched, but her spiritual side drained much faster than she was use to. 

Just something she would have to work on then.

Toph felt something 'ping' on her senses, tilting her head and focusing her seismic sense on the feeling of _warmth,stable,air,steel,_ and recognized her grandmother entering her range. A new feeling of slight apprehension mixed with anticipation strayed into the back of her mind. 

That was another difference. Sometimes she could _feel_ somebody before "seeing" them. If she focused she could get a glimpse of their current feelings. 

* * *

Himari carefully navigated the crowded streets, keeping a close watch on her granddaughter. Her stubborn little Ren, who decided she could walk on her own. Only accepting her hand when faced with the crowd of last minute shoppers in the market.

Her little Ren was definitely blind (to what extent was debatable), but not to be underestimated. Himari suspected her little Ren to be a sensor, a very strong one at that, to be showing this young and what with the way Ren seemed to know where ever she was in the house at any given time. Or making sure to be out of sight whenever her parents came home.(That didn't explain how she found every hidden item.)

Instead of following that train of thought, she mentally reviewed the list of things they needed to pick up. A hearty stew was planned for the return of Akari and Haruto. Haruto had been on patrol missions the last couple of weeks, while Akari was returning with a group of failed genin from the ongoing chunin exams.

They would need to get a roast from the butcher. Onion, carrots, and potatoes she could get at a vegetable stand. They had mirin** at home, and plenty of rice.

Spotting the butcher, Himari nudged Ren in that direction. Quickly picking out and paying for a small roast, the two were once more on the look out for a fresh produce vendor. Finding one a little down the street, across from a small resting area containing a fountain and a couple benches. Ren opted to hold the roast and wait on a bench while she haggled down prices for the vegetables. 

It was as she was heading back to Ren, vegetables held securely in her arms and a satisfied glint to her eyes, that she saw her little Ren tense. Himari watched as Rens head snapped to the right, eyes wide, face drained of color, body trembling, but her slack grip still managing to hold the roast. 

Just as she was about to charge across the street, an explosion threw her backwards, farther from her little Ren. A heavy presence weighing everything down.

Landing in a roll-turned-crouch, Himari snapped her attention to where Ren had been. Gaze landing on a rubble strewn remains of a street, a wrapped up roast on the ground. 

And Ren nowhere in sight.

* * *

Toph was content to wait on the bench, holding the roast and swinging her legs. Then it was as if a wildfire erupted, chaotic and oppressing, miles outside her usual range. 

Her head jerked to the left and she felt her body trembling like a leaf. 

Then it was like the presence disappeared for a split second, before reappearing _right behind her_. 

A rush of air shoved her forwards, a loud rumble deafened the area, and as she fell, the earth opened up underneath her. Roast slipping out of her hands, Toph was swallowed once more in the protective ground of her element. 

Black spots entered her vision from the sheer pressure of whatever being was out there. Her senses too overwhelmed to form a coherent picture or thought. She tried to walk away from the presence, only managing a few steps, with the earth around her moving out of her way, before she stumbled, scraping her hands and knees. 

Toph felt lightheaded and like someone was trying to bash her skull open all at once. The heavy (strangely blank) aura was far too close, and Toph was in no shape to get away. With that in mind, she directed the earth to let her out, preferably around someone who cared enough to take her away from this place. (She wanted her grandmother.)

The earth formed a tunnel around her and led her up towards the surface. She stumbled and clawed her way to the top amidst deafening crashes that left her tunnel shaking. Finally popping out in what use to be a alley, a building half collapsed in it, leaving a small opening to crawl through. Toph quickly spotted a few ninja helping evacuate other villagers. 

Stumbling out of the alley, one shinobi looked her way, just as another roar shook the earth and causing the building to fall the rest of the way. Right in her direction.

Toph felt the earth prepare to open up under her, but before it could the shinobi from before swooped in and snatched her away. Held tightly in his arms gave Toph something to focus on, something to distract her from the overwhelming destruction happening around them. 

He felt young, out of breath and trembling, but with a steel spine as he continued to do his job. Toph felt _fire,fear,duty,ash_ from him. She felt his head swivel around, settling in the direction of a large group of people. Toph switched her focus to them. Judging by their lightfootedness, and tense muscles, they were probably a group of shinobi preparing to attack _whatever_ is was that was attacking them.

Before they could attack however, another man stepped up to them. This man had a cane, and when Toph focused on him she _nearly_ let the earth spear him. He felt _terrible_. His aura filled with envy and barely concealed disdain. 

"The Hokage wants your clan to focus solely on evacuating the villagers. Avoid any interaction with the Kyuubi." The man commanded before slipping away before the shinobi could even respond. 

Toph felt the groups _fear_ and _apprehension_ change into _confusion_ and _anger_ , before settling into _resignation_. The leader of the group quickly sorted them into teams, a few going solo, and they all set out in different directions, determined to do their assignment to the best of their ability.

The shinobi carrying her set off, away from the destruction. His head scanning from side to side in search of other villagers.

Toph could help. Despite her earlier shut down, if she just had something to focus on, it wouldn't happen again. She could find people and direct him towards them. She just had to convince him to set her down. In the middle of an attack.

...It was worth a shot. And if he didn't, she could always trip him. Although she didn't want to do that, for one they didn't have the time for it, and two, then she would fall with him.

Toph brought her mouth up to were she could feel his ear was, raising her voice so he could hear her over buildings collapsing and shinobi battling. 

"Shinobi-san, I can help you find villagers. I just need you to set me down." He seemed to still for a moment, glancing at her before going back to scanning his surroundings.

"Even if you are a Hyuuga, your byakugan doesn't have a wide range yet. It would only slow me down." He shortly dismissed her offer.

Toph frowned at the side of his head. They didn't have time for this.

* * *

Uchiha Atsushi knew they disappointed the child, but this was an emergency and they didn't have the time to waste for the child to try to use their byakugan, if they even could at this age. He didn't know if they were a boy or girl, he hadn't asked their name either, thinking he could just hand the kid off to an adult before joining the attacking party. 

He let out a shaky exhale, about to ask the kids name, before his foot caught a piece of rubble he thought he had stepped high enough to avoid, and sent him flying forward. He tucked himself into a ball around the child in his arms, making sure to cover their head and trying to angle his body to land first. He succeeded for the most part. He landed on his side, but after landing the kid slid out of his arms, kneeling down and balancing themselves by setting their hands flat on the ground. 

They didn't have the time for this, he stood up and reached to pick the child back up.

"There's a group of civilians in that building over there. About five or six." The kid said, pointing at a building down the street that they had already passed, still looking down at the ground.

"They're in the basement." The kid added, when he didn't go running at their word. The confidence is what convinced him to at least check, if this was a trick of a wannabe hero, he'd show them the consequences of playing jokes during an emergency.

He pointed to a nearby restaurant, it was safer than the open street. "Stay there. I'll be back."

Quickly running to the building, an old clothing store, he threw open the basement door to find six fearful and tear stained faces staring back at him. Right then. No time to question, just evacuate as many people as he could and let the kid stay on the ground. 

"Follow me, I'll lead you to a safe area." He assured the group, ushering them out of the basement and into the street, quickly directing them to the nearest safe shelter (that he really should have brought the kid to, now that he could think), and raced back to the kid. 

He found the kid waiting where he left him, still crouched, with their hands touching the ground. He didn't know why they needed to be in that position, but put any questions on hold until this was over with. 

"Is there anyone else nea-" He was cut off by a loud voice. 

"Ren-chaan! I have finished evacuating the civilians on the street over, where should I go next?" Might Dai yelled, bounding over in his green jumpsuit, orange leg warmers, and yellow scarf. 

...At least he knew the kids name now.

* * *

They continued like that for a while, Toph hiding in abandoned buildings, focusing solely on her job of locating villagers (If she didn't she would _think_. About her grandmother, _was she okay, she was out of range, was she ali-_ , the hulking presence tearing its way through the village, _crushing, rampaging, just let him_ leave, the never ceasing tremors, _they sent thunderous waves through her seismic sense, echoing in her skull_.), then sending out Might-san and Shinobi-san with directions of where villagers were hiding. When a street was clear, they would move to the next one, rinse and repeat. 

Once, she had tried to focus on the beast, while waiting for her minions to come back. She got Huge, Old, _Fire,Freedom,Escape,Anger,Hatred,Red,Red,Red_.She could "see" a giant canine type beast with multiple tails, and dozens of shinobi swarming around like flies. (Toph couldn't see _colors_ , never could. Wouldn't be able to put a name to one even if she could. But lately she'd been able to catch glimpses of _something_. And right now, when she focused on the beast ( _spirit, her mind whispered._ ), something would blare in her head, and _red_ seemed to fit.)

Then Might-san came running back, waiting on his next orders.

Toph had met him when he came to "rescue" her from that abandoned building, she had an easier time convincing him to go after the civilians she described than she had with Shinobi-san.

At one point, a boy had stumbled upon her. He had his younger brother in his arms and seemed to have been searching for someone. When she asked if there was anything she could identify him with, the boy told her his father would have been leading a group of shinobi. The only group of shinobi she had run into had been the ones assigned to evacuate the villagers. She quickly searched for the leaders familiar footsteps, finding them a few streets over, where some other members of the group had made a field hospital to take care of the villagers with minor wounds. 

Directing the boy to the field hospital, but warning him, as it could be someone else. He nodded, thanked her, and took off towards the field hospital.

Hours later, when things were settling down, (the hulking presence had disappeared some time ago, shocking her with its sudden absence), and they had started to meet up with members of the group from earlier, Toph decided it was time to head home, she couldn't let her grandmother come home to an empty house. (She wouldn't think of any other scenario.)

Now it was more to check if people were alright, or in danger of being hurt by damaged buildings.

"There's a couple in the street over, third house down, in their bedroom, may want to knock first." Toph said blandly before continuing, "And a kid hiding under the bridge near the park. That should be the last of the civilians."

Shinobi-san blinked at her slowly, before declaring that he was going to go pick up the kid. Leaving Might-san more than happy to check on the safety of the couple. 

After they left, Toph checked her surroundings, no one else was in her area. She let the ground take her revolving door style, leaving nothing out of place on the surface. Toph landed in a tunnel, leading to her house in the Hyuuga compound.

She was exhausted, dirty, and just wanted to sleep. Stumbling all the way home, she checked her house for anybody, finding no one. She didn't let herself think about that. The village probably needed any ninja available. (She didn't know if that included grandma Himari.) 

Climbing out of the ground was harder than it should have been. She slid open the side door, into the kitchen, and made her way to her grandmothers room (they practically shared it, not much use of a nursery next to uncaring parents).

She had already shucked off her shoes a long time ago, so she just changed from her dirty shorts and yukata top into one of her grandmothers shirts, before collapsing on the bed, falling asleep instantly.

* * *

Himari trudged home with Akari and Haruto wearily following. 

After losing sight of Ren, she had gone on a near manic search of the surrounding area, questioning nearby civilians if they had or had seen her granddaughter, shortly directing them to the nearest shelter when they said no.

Getting roped into helping with the evacuation hadn't been her plan, but she placated herself with checking every shelter she guided villagers to, hoping someone had brought her little Ren in. A numbness spreading farther through out her body at every shake of the head and failure to spot pale glazed eyes.

Akari and Haruto had found her searching another shelter, finally seeming to realize that they had a _daughter_ and not just some shameful secret. Their eyes slowly clearing of the haze they had been living in the past _year_.

Then it was a family effort to find their youngest. More eyes meant faster scans, the quicker they determined Ren wasn't in this shelter, the quicker they moved on to the next. Collecting villagers on the way, searching the increasing crowds of people, again, and again. And again.

They searched through the night, each shelter leaving them with dreaded hope and lead feet. Eyes trying not to look too close at collapsed buildings and smoking debris, but looking anyways because this was their job.

Until finally, the sun started to creep over the horizon, shining light on the swath of ruined buildings and deep lashes following at the sides. The emergency was over for now, the shinobi sorted into shifts, allowing the first responders to rest for a few hours before coming back to help with clean up. 

Which led to now, with the small family stumbling home and hoping for the slim chance that their youngest had somehow made it back.

A hope that grew when they found the side door cracked. Himari rushed to her room and almost broke the door in her haste to open it, stepping in to see her little Ren dazedly sitting up from where she'd been laying on the bed.

Wasting no time, Himari was across the room and clutching her granddaughter to her, feeling light headed and the tightness in her chest loosening, only to re-tighten in her throat.

* * *

Toph was brought out of her dreams of the attack _(too many still bodies, the buildings in ruins, fear, hate, rage, escape, red, red,_ red. _)_ by the feeling of _warm, nearly despondent, exhausted,_ coming within her range, which seemed to have increased exponentially. 

She let herself bury her relief in the presence of her grandmother, before struggling to sit up.

Light footsteps and the door being thrown open were the only warnings she got before she was being tightly held in her grandma Himari's lap on the floor, after a stunned moment (Toph wasn't usually one for physical affection besides a friendly punch), her own hands shakily came up to twist into her grandmothers kimono top. 

Clutching each other, they sat like that for a long while. Not talking, just holding on to the other like they were a ghost and they didn't want to let go, lest they disappear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found out how to do italics and lines! I may have gotten carried away with the italics.
> 
> I've decided (loosely) on a update schedule, Mondays and Thursdays. Hopefully i can keep to this, and if i feel like it i may update random chapters whenever.
> 
> Should i change grandmother to Obaa-chan? 
> 
> *I took this from wiki.  
> **Japanese cooking wine.


	4. Family, Meetings, and a Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family, Duy, Colors, Duy, Uchiha, Hyuuga, Duy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember I said loosely.
> 
> Keep in mind I use grandmother, grandma, and Obaa-chan whenever i feel like _this one_ feels right. Sorry it's not consistent.
> 
> ...I've realized I just don't use the Japanese words when not talking. If the constant switch is annoying, then, i'm sorry, but this is how I write. 
> 
> This chapter was getting kind off long, so i split it into two.

It took three days for Toph to feel comfortable leaving grandma Himari’s side for more than an hour. 

It took five days for Akari and Haruto to realize their daughter was avoiding them. (Surprisingly well for a blind child.)

Another week and Himari still couldn’t stop checking for her little Ren every other hour. 

After two weeks Toph was ready to fake her death. 

At least then her family could mourn, move on, and leave her in peace. (The _smothering_ was driving her _insane_.)

_(The last time her family got too over protective, she had run off to join a war.)_

* * *

Whereas before, she could occasionally sneak off for some earth bonding time, now she had absentee parents trying to _talk_ to her, and a grandmother _constantly_ checking on her. She _needed_ some alone time.

At least she finally got to see the Byakugan.

* * *

Toph noticed her grandmother periodically glancing her way, reassuring herself that she was still there. While annoying, not a problem. The problem was that she still checked on her from different rooms, the walls apparently irrelevant to her grandmother. (As they should be, it's _her_ grandmother.) 

Eventually Toph had wandered over to her grandmother, who was sitting in the window chair, and was quickly picked up. Held securely on her lap, arms wrapped around her, Toph felt her grandmothers stare.

Tilting her head questioningly, Toph reached up to pat around her eyes, making an inquisitive noise. Her grandmother, fortunately, seemed to understand.

Gently taking a hold of her small hands in her slim ones, she brought them up to her face, letting them rest on either side. 

Focusing on her grandmother, Toph felt it when a surge of energy seemed to branch off the _warm, solid, cool, love_ , and flow upwards.

A blink later had the veins around her eyes popping out.

Even expecting it, Toph was startled at the sudden change, hands jerking away for a second, before carefully returning to feel the up raised pattern of veins. 

“What ‘s thiss?” She questioned softly, fingers still tracing over her grandmothers skin, following them until they reached her hairline. 

“This is the Byakugan, Ren-Chan. All members of the Hyuuga clan have it. It allows us to have an extended field of vision, nearly 360°, unhindered by solid objects.” Grandma Himari explained, closing her eyes and letting the Byakugan fade. “More importantly, it allows us to see the chakra circulatory system, essential in our use of Jyuuken.”

They could see the chakra/chi pathways? ( _Is that what she saw?_ But her veins didn’t pop out.) Jyuuken? Was that the fighting style that utilized hitting the pressure points?

Before she could ask any of her questions, she felt Akari enter her range. 

Promptly thanking her grandmother, Toph yawned and claimed she was going to take a nap, quickly disappearing into their room before her mother could even reach the house.

* * *

She planned her escape the day after her birthday. (Her family far too watchful _on_ her birthday)

Her parents were sleeping in after a night shift on clean up duty, and her grandma was tidying up the kitchen after breakfast. 

Passing her grandma, Toph realized they would probably scour the village if she just disappeared, better to leave a time she’d be back by.

“Obaa-Chan, I’m going outside, I’ll come back in for dinner.” 

Not too suspicious, her family had learned that Toph liked to spend time in the back garden, staying outside for hours. ( _she liked to practice her bending, the movement hidden in the plants._ )

A whole day was kind of pushing it, but Toph was finally leaving the compound unsupervised, she wanted to take her time exploring areas outside of the market.

Her grandma paused in her cleaning, glancing at her, “Okay Ren-Chan, I’ll bring out some snacks for you later.” Then returned to her dishes.

Slipping out the kitchen door, sliding it shut behind her, Toph walked around the house to sit next to the garden. 

The garden was split into two sides, one side to grow seasonal vegetables, and the other to grow an assortment of flowers. 

Toph would sit out here, feet firmly in the ground, and focus on the people around her. After being shown the Byakugan, she wanted to be able to know when someone was using it. 

So far the only signs were a spike of chakra to the head (eyes), and the bulging veins. Both things she could only _see_ if she was focusing, and looking for the change. 

The chakra was easier to notice, with _color_ being so _new_ , it stood out in her monochrome world. She couldn’t match any names to what she saw, but sometimes she would catch herself focusing on random people. 

Like the Chūnin training nearby, chakra _fluctuating, surging towards different parts of the body,_ determination _, veins popping, twisting,_ frustration _, and being expelled through their fingers._

Or her grandmother. _Still, steady, warm, cool,_ here she focused on the color and movements, entranced by the _brightness_. The steady flow, the sudden surge, the gentle swaying.

* * *

All in all, the escape was pretty easy.

After finishing the dishes, her grandma had settled in the living room with a scroll, half an hour later, Toph felt her grandma check on her, then go back to reading.

It was time.

The earth under her flipped, leaving her in a pre-made slide, and the ground above untouched. 

She had made sure to make the slide long, taking her deeper than usual. She had been lucky before that no one checked underground with their byakugan, she didn't want to rely on luck. When Toph felt she was deep enough, she let the slide level out into a tunnel. Then it was just a matter of walking, scanning above her to find a store that sold eye wear.

Firsts things first, she had to find some glasses to hide her eyes. She had heard others talk about "Hyuuga eyes", If her new clan had unique enough eyes to be recognized on sight, they needed to be hidden. Toph didn't need anyone trying to help the lost little clan kid. Better to play the role of little orphan, or merchants daughter off to explore the village, yes, lets go with that one, her clothes certainly fit. She'd have to try street rat another time, when she wore out her clothes a bit more.

Scanning above her, she finally found what seemed to be a ninja apparel store. Digging up, and climbing into the alley next to it, Toph got out a roll of bandages to wrap one of her eyes with, finger combing her fringe to cover her other eye. (Living in a home of shinobi, weapons and medical supplies were often stocked, and more often used, easy for something to go missing.)

Patting her hair, making sure others would have trouble seeing her eye, Toph confidently stepped into the store. 

As she walked to the front counter, her spine straightened, steps sure, and she felt more like herself than she had in months. Here, where people didn't know she was blind and had _expectations_ of how she should act. While normally she didn't care how people thought she should act, this was a _shinobi_ village, meaning she probably couldn't get away with saying "Excuse me, earth bender here, I can see with my feet." Not in a shinobi village, where people would notice her blindness didn't hamper her and she'd be expected to fight. For them. On their terms.

Toph didn't let other people order her around. She wasn't good at taking demands. So, no, she wasn't about to let the village know she could fight. The only problem with that was, Toph really _liked_ fighting. Ergo, her escape from the village was pending. 

But that was for the future, right now she just had to buy some glasses. 

Focusing on the man behind the counter, Toph made sure to stop far enough away from the counter, so he could see her small frame. 

" Excuse me Sir, do you sell tinted glasses?" Toph had been practicing, and managed to ask the question without a lisp. She felt pretty proud of herself. 

The man looked down at her and raised an eyebrow, "Aren't you a little young to be out shopping kid? Where are your parents?"

She looked up at him, making sure her hair still covered her eye, "They're busy running the stall a street over." (There was, in fact, a couple running a stall a street over.)

"A stall, huh. And what do they sell?" He asked, looking at her wrapped eye.

"Oko-no-mi-yaki." She answered promptly, spacing the word out to pronounce it correctly. 

He gestured at her eye, "What happened there?"

Toph made sure to shuffle her feet, letting her eye fall from his face to the ground, hand making an aborted motion to touch it. " During the Kyuubi attack a rock slashed it. It makes mommy sad, so I keep it covered. But bandages are hard to tie, so I wondered if you had any tinted glasses?" 

The man stiffened, shoulders hunching for a second, body forcefully stopping a shudder at the reminder of the attack. "Sorry to make you remember that. Yes, I have some tinted glasses. Any preferences?" 

In a fit of sentimentality, Toph asked, "Do you have rectangular glasses? With a green tint?" 

The man checked the shelf behind the counter, then huffed, "Let me check in the back."

Waiting at the counter, Toph counted up the money she had collected from the training grounds (luckily it was mostly coins, with easily recognizable symbols), She had amassed a decent amount. It should be enough for a pair of glasses. 

The man came in holding two boxes, " I don't have green, but i do have a dark amber, and rose red. Is that okay?"

She didn't know the difference between the colors, but dark was dark, and that's what she needed."The dark amber is okay, how much does it cost?" Toph readied her money to pay.

But the man shook his head, "It's on me, as an apology for making you remember that night."

Accepting the glasses, Toph thanked the man, mentally promising herself to bring him some okonomiyaki. As thanks, and to further cement her story.

Leaving the store and slipping back into the alley, Toph unwrapped the bandages, neatly re-wrapping them and putting them in her pocket, then slipped on the glasses. They were a little loose, but they did their job and covered her eyes.

Now to head to that okonomiyaki stall.

* * *

Okonomiyaki delivered, Toph was wandering around the nearby streets. Sometimes passing by damaged buildings, subtly fixing cracks and strengthening foundations. 

It was as she was passing a weapons shop, that she ran into someone she knew. 

"Ren-chan?" Might Dai looked startled, before smiling brightly. "Ren-chan!" The man exclaimed and pounced. 

Toph dodged, or tried to, this body was too slow. Engulfed in a not too unpleasant hug, the man continued to talk as he spun her around. 

"We were so worried when you suddenly disappeared! And Uchiha-san ran off to search for you, he didn't find you, and he seems to be under the impression that you're a boy for some reason. Not sure why, anyone could see you're a beautiful little lotus blossom!" Might-san stopped spinning, staring at her, "Oh, besides that, how have you been? Did you find your family? Are you out here alone?" He asked, sounding genuinely interested and concerned. 

Toph took a moment to re-center herself, making a little motion to be let down, which he quickly followed. 

" I have been well Might-san, i did find my family, thankfully no casualties." She thought about what he said before, letting a smirk play on her lips, "Uchiha-san thinks i'm a boy? Ne, you want to help me play a game Might-san?" 

He made an inquiring noise, "Of course i'll play with you Ren-chan! And please, just call me Dai." He seemed almost too excited, and Toph got the feeling he already knew what game she wanted to play.

"How about we let Uchiha-san continue to think i'm a boy, and if he continues to look for me, you get to be the only one to find me. Also, Dai, can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course! You're secret will be safe with me!" He held up a thumb and smiled.

And for some reason, Toph found herself trusting this man. This man who listened without a doubt and unhesitatingly went to rescue some civilians on her word alone. "About me being out here alone, I actually snuck out, and please, call me Toph." Sharing a conspiratorial smirk, Dai nodded, "Of course Toph-chan! But, as a man, and a shinobi of this village, I cannot leave a young lady alone. Would you allow me the honor of escorting you today?" He winked to show he was teasing, but stood straight enough to be serious about his offer.

"You may, but as I don't have any real plans besides exploring, may I ask what brought you here today?", Some manners were to be used for nice men who keep your secrets. 

" I am here to get my son a birthday present!" Duys smile became a bit gentler, but no less enthusiastic. 

"Okay, I'm not sure how much help i'll be, when is his birthday?" How much time did they have to work with?

"It's January first! My wonderful son will be turning 15!" 

January first? " That's still two months away, we have time to go slow and browse."

"Excellent idea! We will scour every shop in Konoha if that's what it takes!" Dai claimed, raising his fist, ready to start his search.

"What does your son like? Any hobbies?" Toph asked, trying to narrow down what kind of things a 15 year old might like.

" He likes training, and when we play catch! He enjoys competing with his rival, and eating spicy curry!" Toph interrupted before Dai could start a speech about his son.

"What kind of training? Does he use weapons?" She asked, if it was weapons, she might be able to help. 

"He's focusing on his taijutsu! He uses the standard shinobi weapons, I do not think he has chosen a personal weapon." Dai paused thinking about that. 

"How about we just look around and see if anything catches your eye. If not then maybe he'll let something slip at home." Toph suggested. 

"Great idea! Let us begin Toph-chan!" Duy exclaimed, leading them to the closest store, the weapons shop. 

And the search began.

* * *

Hours later, Dai had treated her to lunch,( "Your birthday was _yesterday_ and I _missed_ it! This will not do! Are you hungry? What do you want to eat?") they decided to continue their search the next time they met up. 

Now it was afternoon and Toph had to go home. Considering there was no search party (although, she had felt her parents chakra run by earlier, maybe they had another mission?), her grandmother had understood her promise. So, making sure it was clear, she pocketed her new glasses, and let the ground take her.

* * *

Akari had woken up slowly, still tired from last nights clean up shift ( thankfully it was almost over). She felt Haruto stir next to her before settling back down. Breakfast, she decided, was needed before she could start the day. 

Still in her pajamas, Akari padded softly into the kitchen, making something easy (rice and eggs). As she settled down at the table with her food, she noticed her mother sitting in the living room. 

She briefly scanned the room, not expecting, but hoping to see her daughter. The daughter she had ignored for almost a year and now wanted nothing to do with her. Did she even remember her? That she was her mother? Akari didn't know when a baby started to retain memories, what if Ren had forgotten her parents in their ashamed stupor?

\---- flashback time----

It was like a fog had slowly cleared from her mind when she found her mother tensely directing civilians, then almost frantically scanning over the crowd in the shelter. Where was Ren? Ren was always around her mother, right? 

When her mother had revealed that Ren had disappeared during the initial attack, some more of the fog cleared away.

Then with each shelter, she felt that fog clear more and more, being replaced with fear and panic. Desolation had started to creep up on her, different from the fog, but no less heavy and suffocating. 

By the time they trudged home, her feet felt like lead, and her throat was tight.

Then her mother dashed off, yanking her door open, and disappearing from view. 

They followed, wondering what her grandmother found, (and hoping for the impossible). 

Her mother was kneeling on the ground, curled around a small figure, from here Akari could see dirty feet hanging off her mothers lap and a small patch of head tucked under her mothers chin. When had Ren gotten so big? When was the last time she had seen her daughter? _Too long_.

Days later, and neither Akari or Haruto had any luck in talking to their daughter. Ren had latched herself to her mother ( _that should be me, could've been_ ), and hardly allowed herself to be separated. She couldn't talk yet, so it was like a silent limpet had attached itself to her mother.

After a week and Ren had finally left her mothers side for most of the day, they realized they couldn't find Ren at all in those hours she had alone. Using the byakugan they could find her, but in between knowing her location and _finding_ her, she would escape. Like a ghost (and that thought sent a shiver down her spine), Ren would disappear, only to reappear somewhere else in the house. 

At first, Akari had thought her mother was keeping Ren from them, then had to dismiss that when Ren still easily escaped them and hid when her mother went out on a quick errand.

Was their byakugan just for show? How was their daughter losing them? (Her Bli-)

And then one day, when her mother went out to get a present for Ren ( _It was already her bithday?_ ), Ren disappeared like usual, except this time, she didn't reappear. A couple hours had passed and they had searched the whole house, and around it, with and without their byakugan, and still couldn't find their daughter. 

Did someone kidnap her? Her daughter was an easy target, young and _blind_.

Then, all of a sudden, her daughter walked in from the side door, like she had just taken a step outside and they hadn't searched outside. Her head was directed to the front door, not even noticing her parents. Walking to the door (When could she walk? When were her first steps? _How much had she missed?_ ) with no problem (they did have a wide open living room, when had her mother moved things?) and waited at the door.

What was she waiting for? Opening her mouth to ask, Akari was interrupted by the door opening, "Okaeli, Obaa-chan." (When?)

Her mother stepped in with a fond smile, looking at Rens irritated face, "Tadaima, Ren-chan. Almost there, just keep practicing."

Her daughter could already walk, she could talk, she spent hours on her own. _What did she need her for?_

To clean? ( _Ren was a pretty neat child_ ) To cook? ( _Her mother did that_ ) To help her with her nightmares after the attack? ( _Her mother took care of that too._ )

Watching her mother and daughter interact sent a sharp knife of bitterness through her chest. But it was mixed with a weird mix of gratefulness and resignment. Her mother had taken her place, yes, but _she_ had _left_. She could't blame her mother for stepping up and taking care of Ren.

But. She still wanted to make up for _leaving_ , she wanted to be apart of her daughters life, wanted to _watch_ her grow, not just hear about her.

\----flashbacks done----

"Okaa-san, where is Ren?" Akari asked, getting up to get a cup of water. 

"Ren-chan went out." Her mother said, not looking up from her scroll.

Out? "Is she in the garden again?" Her daughter did like to be outside, fortunately their house was in the outer rings of residential houses, and the garden was in the back, away from wandering eyes (not that that helped with the whole clan having byakugan, no privacy).

"Probably not, she said she'd be back in time for dinner." Looking at her mother, because that was absurd, she noticed her shoulders were slightly tensed, and she was _pointedly_ not looking away from her scroll. 

Quickly scanning around the house with byakugan, already knowing she wouldn't find her daughter, then looking back at her mother. Knowing she wasn't going to get anything else out of her, instead she just covered her plate (Haruto would eat it), and went to get dressed.

"I'm going to find my daughter." She coldly called out, her mother still reading her damn scroll, like Ren wasn't out there, lost, and _blind_.

Starting with the compound gate, the guards wouldn't let a pre-academy Hyuuga out without an adult, they might have her daughter.

* * *

Hours later, Haruto and Akari went home to find Himari-san cooking. 

Finishing up the last of the tempura, Himari-san started preparing a salad.

Haruto watched as his wife started forward, fuming,"How can you just cook! When Ren is _lost_ out there." She gestured from Himari-san to the window. 

"Ren-chan said she would be home for dinner, I can't have her come home to no food, now can I?" 

"Ren _isn't_ coming back. She's lost, because _you_ let her go outside on her own." Akari was well in Himari-sans personal space, nearly snarling with the need to get the _point_ across. 

Himari-sans eyes sharpened, "Ren, is not _lost, Akari._ One would think you would have realized yourself, from all your failed attempts to even _speak_ to your _daughter_. Can you even call yourself her mother?" Himari-san spoke in a sharp, cold tone.

Akari glared back, raising her voice, "I am her mother!"

"Biologically, yes, but in _reality_? You don't know Ren beyond she's blind, and likes the garden. There is so much more to Ren than you realize." Himari-sans gaze shifted to him, before settling back on her daughter.

"You haven't paid attention to Ren in a _year_ , and only then because she might've died. I thought I raised you better than that." 

"You raised me to protect the main branch. My _daughter_ is _blind_. She is blind and cannot use the byakugan. What use is a Hyuuga branch member if they can't even use the byakugan to protect the main house? She'll be lucky if they just ignore her." She sneered.

"I also raised you to use your head. The main branch isn't everything, and they can't force Ren into anything with me here." 

"We're all _sealed_ , mother. And with Lady Hyuuga pregnant, it's only a matter of time until Ren is too."

* * *

Toph had gotten home in time for dinner, like promised. 

She froze with her hand outstretched, reaching for the side door, when she heard the yelling. Focusing, she could feel her mother angrily storm up to grandma Himari. Listening to the end of the sentence, Toph wondered what had brought this on.

 _"-m her mother!"_ That was her mothers voice. Toph thought she had a mission.

 _"Biologically, yes, but in_ reality _? You don't know Ren beyond she's blind, and likes the garden. There is so much more to Ren than you realize."_ A pause, _"You haven't paid attention to Ren in a_ year _, and only then because she might've died. I thought i raised you better than that."_ That was her grandmother. 

_"You raised me to protect the main branch. My_ daughter _is_ blind _. She is blind and cannot use the byakugan. What use is a Hyuuga branch member if they can't even use the byakugan to protect the main house? She'll be lucky if they just ignore her."_

( "My daughter is blind. She is _blind_ and _tiny_ and _helpless_ and _fragile_. She cannot go with you.")

Her mothers words echoed her fathers from the past. But before she could dwell on the past, her grandmother continued.

_" I also raised you to use your head. The main branch isn't everything, and they can't force Ren into anything with me here."_

_"We're all_ sealed _, mother. And with Lady Hyuuga pregnant, it's only a matter of time until Ren is too."_

Not wanting this to continue, Toph opened the door and stepped in. 

"Tadaima, Obaa-chan." She called out, and her grandmother did a 180. Turning towards her, body relaxing, and kind voice answering, "Okaeri, Ren-chan. I made tempura."

Before Toph could make it to the table however, her mother blocked her path. "And where have you been?" She asked sternly.

"Out." She moved to go around her. 

Not about to let herself be ignored, her mother reached down, and grabbed her wrist in a tight grip. Keeping her from moving.

" _Where_ have you been all day? Who took you out? You're still young, you cannot be out by yourself." 

"I had adult supervision." For most of the day at least. Toph tried to twist her hand, testing her mothers grip, her wrist was starting to hurt. (Her old family had never hurt her, just posted more guards.)

"Who? The same person who let you out of the compound?" Her mother pressed, ignoring Tophs struggle.

" _Akari_ , let go of her wrist." Her grandmother almost growled out the words. Probably seeing Toph trying to get away.

"Not until she answers me. Who took you out of the compound?" Her mother (not mother) tightened her grip to make sure she had her undivided attention.

"I don't have to tell you." Toph decided. She didn't owe them an explanation. ( _Her old parents had loved her wholeheartedly, blindness and all. While overprotective, everything they did was what they thought was best for_ her _. It was only her future actions they had trouble accepting, but they_ had _accepted her, it had taken_ years _and a life or death situation to change. Years these people didn't have. These people had dropped her the moment her blindness came to light. She didn't owe them any second chances.)_

_They were worried that she couldn't be a _soldier_ to protect the "main branch" without even asking for her opinion. If this was all they wanted, then Toph was glad she avoided them. _

She didn't bother listening to her mother (who was starting to raise her voice), instead focusing on the ground beneath her, just now realizing it had been subtly trembling (too small for normal people to notice). Bringing up a thin senbon, she directed it to reach up, getting thinner, through the floor boards and to prick her mo-not mother, _Akari-sans_ foot through her sandal. 

Startled, Akari-san released her, and Toph wasted no time in darting around her, swiping some tempura, and disappearing into her room. (She wasn't going to let the food go to waste just because of bad company.)

She could still feel the earth under her, spreading her awareness, and making her hyper sensitive to the movements in and around the house. Like her grandmother stopping Akari-san from storming into the room. Or Haruto-san sitting at the table, still and blank.

Letting the "adults" settle themselves, Toph quickly ate, changed into pajamas, and climbed into bed. Feeling her tender wrist, she new it was going to bruise.

* * *

Uchiha Atsushi couldn't get the little Hyuuga kid out of his head.

Stupid, because it's been a month, and he was a _Hyuuga_. (And a kid, and kids are to be protected.)

So, here he was, in front of the Hyuuga compound. He just needed to know if the kid had gotten home safely (he still remembered the flash of panic at seeing the empty building).

Except the guards wouldn't let him in.

"I'm just looking for a young child I helped out during the attack. I just wanted to make sure they made it home okay." He repeated for the fifth time.

One guard finally had enough,"Fine, what's the name?"

"Ren, He already had the byakugan, if that helps." He said smugly.

They glared at him. Yes, the little genius they kept quiet had outed himself on his own.

Conversing with each other for a minute, too quiet to hear, they turned back to him. "We don't have any children by that name, or age range, with the byakugan.

Did the kid give Might-san a fake name? Weird, but possible. "How about any kids that were out during the attack?" He asked, not ready to leave now that he was here.

One guard seem to have an idea,"I do remember Himari-san looking for her grand-" He was cut off by the other guard, "Quiet, It was a false alarm anyway." He gruffly looked away.

"Why couldn't it be this kid?" Atsushi asked, curious about the abrupt cut off.

"None of your business, Uchiha." The gruff guard glared at him.

"I'm just trying to find out if the kid i helped made it home safely, now why can't it be this kid?" He made sure to look stern, as if they were greatly inconveniencing him by being purposefully unhelpful.

It seemed to work, as the gruff guard finally snapped, "Don't go spreading this around, Uchiha." He growled out.

"You have my word." He said solemnly, hiding his smile behind an air of seriousness.

"It can't be this kid, because this Ren is a girl and _blind_." He said quietly, then shutting up and going back to ignoring him.

Oh, no wonder they didn't want to mention her. Being blind in a clan famous for their dojutsu was never easy.

Still not the right Ren though. Maybe they were still hiding his existence. He'd just have to find him outside the compound, he couldn't stay in there forever. 

Nodding to the guards, he left the Hyuuga compound behind.


	5. Sensor things, Family, and Dai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part two of the last chapter,  
> more sensor learning, and more Dai.  
> Atsushi was suppose to make an appearance, but he's being elusive trying to find this hyuuga kid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I accidently posted this chapter before it was done, oops, so here is the rest of it.
> 
> Sorry about that wait, I had charger trouble and then I got distracted.
> 
> Also, the schedule is dead and i'm allergic to deadlines. I'll try to update at least once a week, so, we'll see how that goes.
> 
> I have realized this is a bit cracky, especially in the beginning (I think). I'm bad at writing kids, and Toph wants to be a person. 
> 
> For Tophs development:  
> I based Tophs walking on my friend, who started walking/running at 10 months. I tried to do a lisp, then forgot, then just stopped. 
> 
> Sorry, if It's not super realistic, It's ninjas and Toph, It's not going to be. But I do a lot of research prior to writing, so hopefully It's not too messed up.

It was tense at home. Not that Ren sticks around long enough to deal with it.

Akari and Haruto hardly ever saw her anymore, they might catch a glimpse of her at the dinner table, but even those occurrences are becoming less and less.

After settling down, Akari had felt some regret at her outburst. She should have had better control of herself, but after losing her daughter, then being ignored by her, and her mothers nonchalance at Ren going out (and losing her again). Her emotions had tipped over the edge. 

Looking at her hand, she remembered how small ( _delicate, fragile_ ) her daughters wrist had felt in her grip. She knew her strength. 

She knew she had left bruises. 

Now her daughter completely avoided her, the brief flashes she use to get before were nonexistent.

And she was left with guilt hanging in the back of her mind, heavy and ever present.

* * *

Meeting with Dai had become routine. 

Sometimes when Toph was just wandering, her feet would subconsciously take her to his familiar footsteps. He was always happy to have company. 

Dai would either show her a new area in the village she hadn't explored yet, let her help him train, or let her train _with_ him. He let her run with him, as far as she could go, then carried her the rest of the way. 

She sat on his back when he did push-ups. Clung to his leg for pull-ups. And hung off his back when he practiced his katas ("It's training for if I ever have to fight while carrying a comrade!") 

That's what she liked about him. He didn't treat her like the child her body presented, if she wanted to try something he just guided her through it, or gave her better alternatives for her current physical capabilities. 

Like now. Dai was showing her how to do his style of punching. (A little different from how she punched in her old life, a strong, quick punch, intended to hit your opponent rather than to bend.)

He was crouched next to her, fixing her stance with gentle hands and calm (for once) explanations on _why_. "This stance keeps you grounded. This one lets you switch between defense and offence. Let your body decide which one it needs. Eventually it'll become reflex. Good job Toph-chan! You're a natural!" 

Watching her go through the motion a few more times, Dai called for her to pause. 

"Toph-chan," he started, oddly serious. "Can I ask you a few questions?" 

Toph focused on him ( _oddly subdued, kind, resolute, bright_ ), "Go ahead, I might not answer though."

He nodded, then fixed his gaze on her, "Toph-chan, do you have a home to go back to?" He was worried about her home life? Toph supposed it was odd to always be out, but hadn't she told him she snuck out? That implied she had a home to sneak out of.

"I do have a home." She informed him. His body slightly relaxed, then tensed.

"Do you- Is your-," He seemed to have difficulty asking, before forcing the question out, "Is your family still alive? Do they take care of you?"

"My family is still alive," She started, "Do they hurt you?" Dai cut her off before she could continue.

Her eyebrows slightly scrunched at the interruption, "No, they do not hurt me. My grandmother takes care of me, she's very kind." Toph felt a little offended that he would think she would take abuse. That her grandmother would hurt her.

Dai quieted, then he held out his hand, palm up, silently asking for hers.

Still annoyed at him, Toph made him wait. Minutes passed before she finally placed her hand in his when all he did was continue to hold his hand out.

Gently cradling her hand in his much larger, rougher ones, his thumb lightly brushed over her wrist. "Toph," Softly, so softly (she didn't know he could do soft),  
"I saw the bruises. That was a hand print."

Right. She had forgotten bruises left visible marks. Oops.

"My parents disagreed with some of my actions. It was a one time thing," She would make sure," It won't happen again." She said firmly.

Dai sighed, before straightening, "Okay Toph-chan, but if you ever have to leave, you can come to me, night or day." He gave her a big smile and a thumbs up, " I'll be sure to make some curry rice!"

"Sure." Toph didn't plan to have to take him up on his offer any time soon, but it was nice to know, a warm feeling spread through her.

Then with a teasing smirk, "I may as well start calling you Dai-Ojichan." 

Dai froze, and Toph had a split second to throw herself backwards, before he swooped in and grabbed her in a bear hug. "Of course I'll be your ojichan!" He exclaimed, holding her face to his, his facial hair scratching her cheek.

She supposed this was okay. While she wasn't big on physical affection, he had just been worried, and he let her down when she motioned she had enough.

The somber mood from before had lightened and dispersed, leaving only Dais boisterous laughter.

* * *

"Ren-chan, I have someone i want you to meet." Her grandma called from inside the house. 

Toph, sitting in the garden, had been contemplating another trip into the village. She had felt the unknown person approach their house a while ago, but hadn't payed them much attention. 

She stood and slowly walked around the house, still tired from the light exercise from the day before (this body tired so _easily_ , it was annoying), she thought entering the house through the side door. 

Heading to her grandmother sitting in the living room, across from the unknown woman, she called out, "Yes, Obaa-chan?" 

"Ren-chan, I want you to meet Etsuko-chan, she's an old friend of mine from the academy. Etsuko-chan this is my granddaughter." Smiling, grandma Himari directed Toph to sit on the cushion next to her. 

"I'll make us some fresh tea." She said, picking up the empty pot from the low table settled between them. Toph could hear her filling the pot with water, then focused her gaze on this new woman, 'Etsuko-chan.'

She felt calm, obviously comfortable in her environment, Toph wondered why she hadn't met her before if she was such good friends with her grandmother. Her grandmother hadn't introduced her to any of her friends til now. She hadn't thought about meeting any either. 

It seems that changes today. 

Etsuko felt ( _calm, excited, expecting, amused_ ), her chakra was smooth, and centered in her core. 

"Did your grandmother tell you about me?" She asked, voice a little low for a woman. 

"No." She shook her head negative, and felt the woman look up, sending her grandma a fake glare. ( _Fond irritation_ )

Himari just started to hum. Pointedly loud and not looking their way.

Etsuko sighed, focusing back on Toph. "My name is Fukui Etsuko, call me Etsuko-chan. I was on the same team as your grandma, and I'm here to talk to you about sensing." She said, straight to the point.

Toph kept her face blank. 

Sensing? Did they know about her seismic sense? Maybe, she didn't hide it very well. Or was it about how she could feel ( _see_ ) the chakra near her. More likely. 

Being able to feel and connect to others was an ability only very spiritual people could claim. Earthbenders weren't the most spiritual out of the four, and while Toph could connect to a tree and feel through it's roots, this wasn't the same.

This ability was new, and probably natural (if not common) to this world. 

Toph refocused when her grandmother sat down. 

"It's rare that a natural sensor shows up, most of us have to use sensory techniques." Etsuko-chan was saying, " It's like natural sensors have a head start on others, they still use sensory techniques, and it boosts their ability. Of course most don't show this early, you're a bit of an anomaly, little Ren-chan."

Great.

Grandma Himari huffed into her cup, slightly shaking her head. "Don't mind her Ren-chan, she just gets carried away."

Toph nodded, not really minding. She had always been different, and had accepted it long ago.

Etsuko coughed, took a sip of her fresh tea, and continued. "As I was saying, I'm here to talk to you about sensing. More specifically, your sensing. Can you see the chakra around you? Or do you just feel that there is something there?"

"I can see and feel _something_." She confirmed.

"You can see it? Does it look like balls of flame? Or is it different? Do you see colors? How abou-", "Breathe Etsuko, let her answer." Grandma Himari interrupted. Etsuko just nodded, like this was common, taking a sip of tea and not looking away from Toph.

Toph raised an eyebrow, "I wouldn't know if it looked like flames." She waved a hand in front of her eyes reminding them that she was still blind.

"Right," Etsuko thought for a moment, "Imagine a ball, you've played with those before haven't you? Now, the top isn't smooth, instead it kind of flar-no, spikes? It kind of spikes up at the top, and the spikes move, and curve." She tried to describe fire.

Toph felt _amusement_ next to her.

Focusing on Etsuko, she could see what she meant. _So that's what fire really looked like._ Comparing it to the stylized carvings from her old world, she could see the similarities. 

"Yes, I can see the 'balls of flame', Etsuko-chan." She said with a smirk. Etsuko practically beamed, leaning forward and staring intently at her.

"Amazing! Even while blind you can still see. Can you see the colors?"

"I guess so, I can see something."

"Right, that's great!" Etsuko nearly trembled, _excitement_ radiating off her, "Now I can walk you through the colors!"

...She was going to learn the colors? Toph realized with a certainty she hadn't had before, she could _see_ chakra. She could see, and now she could match names to colors. She knew what fire looked like, and now she could match _names_ to _colors_.

"Now, we're going to take a look at Himari-chan first. I'll describe what I see, and you follow along, okay?"

Nodding, Toph focused on her grandma, felling Etsuko do the same.

"Remember Ren-chan, everyone has a different chakra signature, that's unique to them. Some can be similar, but everybody had their own color and _feel_.Even the colors can vary. Shades and tints, and different color combinations." Etsuko gestured to her grandmother, "Himari here, has very pretty sapphire blue chakra. Can you see how it's a little darker at the center? While lighter on the edges? That's all Himari, others may not be like that." After a moment, Etsuko explained the colors more, "The main color is sapphire blue, darker in the center, while the edges lighten up to a sort of azure blue."

( _So that was blue. She wondered what watertribe blue looked like._ )

"Now, onto the feel. Usually shinobi can only feel anothers chakra if they are close, or if they are projecting it. Often it's described as a temperature, or a texture." Nodding at her grandmother, she continued, "Himari-chan feels warm, and her chakra is slightly airy, right?" At her nod, she continued, "Temperature is usually associated with the relationship between the people in question. Himari-chan feels warm to me because we've been friends for years. She didn't always feel like that though, she felt like ice back when we first met."

Grandma Himari rolled her eyes (Toph had enough practice recognizing that motion with her daughters) as Etsuko carried on, "She didn't like anyone in class, and with her icy demeanor, it was hard for anyone to get close."

Grandma Himari huffed, "Not that it stopped you." ( _amusement, gratefulness_ )

"You love me." ( _merriment_ )

Then Etsuko switched her attention back to Toph. "Can you tell me what you feel, Ren-chan?" ( _excited,expecting_ )

Nodding, Toph began listing how her grandmother felt to her, "Warm, safe, airy like you said," Tilting her head to Etsuko, she continues before either could speak. "I can feel something hard, like a metal."

"Very good, one reason Himari-chan has airy chakra could be because she has an affinity for wind. While not always true, sometimes ones chakra will show aspects of their nature affinity." Etsuko explained.

Affinity? Like bending? Seeing the confused scrunch of her nose, grandma Himari elaborated, "A nature affinity is the element your chakra naturally leans towards out of the basic five transformations. I have an affinity for wind, let's see if you can guess Etsuko-chans."

"Great, now it's my turn. You and Himari-chan are going to study my chakra." Etsuko said, pouring herself more tea.

"With my byakugan I can see her chakra, but i can't go as in depth." Her grandmother said, activating her dojutsu.

Toph focused on Etsuko, and her grandma started to explain what she could see. "Etsuko-chan has a bright copper orange chakra, It's warm, but like before, that could just be because we're close. And you, Ren-chan? Anything you would like to add?"

"Etsuko-chan has warm and smooth chakra."

"This copper color is a mix between red and brown, and with Etsuko-chan, It's a bright color." Grandma Himari added. "Can you guess her affinity?"

Well, red was the fire nations color, "Fire." Toph said, certain.

"Correct! Now It's your turn, Ren-chan!" Etsuko chimed in, already focusing on her.

Toph hadn't really focused on the color of her chakra, just that it felt different from her chi. Now she did.

Her chakra was neither blue nor red, but it was closer to her grandmas cool blue, than Etsukos bright red. It was dark at the center, and got lighter at the edges. Like her grandmother.

Toph felt them stare at her for a moment, before her grandma started talking, "You have a very dark green core, like a dark emerald, then it lightens up at edges to a forest green. It feels warm and steady." She finished with a smile.

"Yes, steady. Surprisingly so, for one so young." Etsuko added, still studying Toph.

"Unusual," She murmured, "Your core is almost black, not a very common color." 

Grandma Himari broke her out of her intense staring, "How about we go out for lunch, that way we can study more chakra?" She suggested.

Etsuko quickly stood up at the prospect of studying more chakra, seeming to enjoy finding ways to explain the colors.

Toph had no problem with learning new colors, and quickly agreed as well.

* * *

Over the next few weeks Toph had more 'lessons' with Etsuko-chan, often going out with her and grandma Himari to eat, or sit at the park where the could people/chakra watch. Toph learned many new colors, to the point that she could describe new colors on her own, and then Etsuko-chan would supply her with a different name that described that color. ("A dark reddish-blue." " It can also be called purple, plums are purple. Darker would be indigo, and lighter would be violet.")

She still met with Dai-Ojichan.  
( _A bright orange-y yellow, like the sunset, she was told._ )

Once she told him about her new hobby of chakra watching, he brought her to his favorite restaurant, a small no-name hole-in-the-wall, that served the best curry in the village. It was family run and Dai seemed to be a regular, the owners and servers loudly greeting him with bear hugs and big smiles. Toph soon became a regular as well, the curry lived up to its name, and the tea was good (although not as good as Irohs, but no one made tea like Iroh).

The owners soon knew her name and usual order, and Toph in turn knew their names. And their kids names. And the grand kids.

And they finally decided on a birthday present for Dais son Gai. It seems he had broken his nunchaku in a recent mission and hasn't had time to get a replacement. So Dai bought a new pair, metal (as opposed to Gais old wooden one), with three sections. Toph suggested he get something inscribed on it, to give it meaning as a gift.

Eventually Dai decided on getting the words 'Protect' and 'Courage' inscribed longways on the two outer sections, and wanted Toph to decide on something for the middle section. ("But he's your son, and it's your present, I didn't have anything to do with it." "But you helped me look all this time, and you suggested the inscriptions Toph-chan.")

Finally Toph decided to just add the symbols for his affinities to the middle bar, just to further personalize it. But she couldn't make it too obvious, he was going to use this to fight, and it wouldn't be wise to label yourself like that in this world. Before it would have been no problem, but here it wasn't such a good idea.

So, someway to add his affinity without showing his affinity. Then the idea hit her, the symbols from her world, they were different enough that it wouldn't be blatantly obvious, and if the were small enough, it shouldn't be a problem.

"Dai-Ojichan, I figured out what I wanted to add." She told him, sitting across from her. He was eating his second serving of spicy curry, and she was sipping on her tea.

She could feel his beaming smile before he even opened his mouth, "That's great! What did you decide on?"

"That's a surprise, but I do have two questions. One, can I borrow the nunchaku? And two, what affinity does your son have?" She asked.

Dai studied her for a moment, before agreeing, handing over the nunchaku while answering. "My wonderful son has a dual affinity for fire and lightning."

"Cool, I'll have it ready by tomorrow." She said, finishing up her tea.

"Great Toph-chan, I can't wait to see it!"

* * *

That night Toph laid on her bed (a twin mattress that was still too big for her), holding the nunchaku in her hands She ran her fingers over the words inscribed on the ends, then settled them on the smooth middle section, right in the center.

Mentally focusing on the images she wanted to add, the fire was clearly a flame, but hopefully people would just think it was pride for fire country. Then, next to the flame, she added the symbol for lightning. Like a rounded rectangle with a spiral in the center, then it was like someone added two triangles, one on the top left edge, the other on the bottom right edge. The points angled slightly inward. 

Removing her hands, Toph stared the freshly inscribed symbols, no larger than the leaves the village was named for.

Her present. Memories from another world.

* * *


	6. Main Branch, Ink, and More Dai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toph finally meets the main branch. She doesn’t like them.

Above is a picture I found. Those are the symbols Toph added to the nunchaku (the fire and lightning ones). I plan to use these more in the future, if needed I will add the picture again. I do not own the picture, or Avater:The Last Airbender or Naruto.

Also, I accidentally posted the previous chapter before it was done, it’s finished now but if you haven’t read it yet, you should go back and read it. I accidentally posted it when it ended at Etsuko calling Toph an anomaly, so if you read past that, great, that was the finished chapter. If not, you should go back and read it. 

* * *

It was a chilly afternoon, when Estuko (call me Oba-chan, we're close enough) found a solution.

Etsuko-chan and Obaa-chan had kept Tophs sensing and color lessons a secret, even from Akari and Haruto. They connected the new colors to old words and slowly painted the world around her. (Like giving her different apples, and explaining that the red one was sweet and crunchy, while the green one was sour, and the yellow one was soft. Not super helpful, as she couldn't pick them herself, but now she _knew_ , and could request what she wanted.)

Lately they had been trying to figure out how to expand her methods of learning. Reading was out for obvious reasons. As was watching (to them at least, they didn't know about her seismic sense, but they suspected something). Hands-on was an option, but that could get dangerous. 

So far, using examples and memorization had been the only ways for Toph to learn. This was unacceptable according to Etsuko-chan, and thus led her to delving into the library for days on end. Only coming out for food, their lessons, sleep, and to complain about dimwitted librarians. 

After the days lesson (a walk, so Toph could practice focusing on moving chakra), they had gone home for dinner, and Etsuko stayed for tea afterwards. (Akari and Haruto were on missions.)

They had settled down at the low table, Toph cradling a warm tea cup in her hands, silently listening to her grandmother talk about what she could make for breakfast in the morning when Etsuko jumped up, raising the scroll she had been reading in the air and exclaiming. "There! That! That's it! Hah!" 

She quickly refocused on them, _exhilaration, satisfaction_ pulsed strongly from her, "I knew those crazy Uzumaki had to have something that could help us! With all the experimental seals they grew up with, someone had to have injured their eyes. Or with their long lives, they would have declining eyesight. They would have had to figure out some ways to help with vision problems. And I finally found some!"

Standing as well, grandma Himari looked over Etsukos sholder, trying to read the scroll. "What did you find?"

With a little huff, Etsuko slumped, slightly deflating, "I couldn't find anything to fix her vision, unfortunately." She paused, then puffed back up, " But some of the older Uzumaki trained themselves to see the chakra remains in the chakra infused ink they used. It's a little uncommon and pricey here, but in a clan of sealers, it would have been used more regularly."

"Like seeing the pathways with the byakugan?" Grandma Himari looked pensive. 

They seemed to have forgotten she was there, caught up in the discovery. Toph just listened to them talk, debating letting the _thoughts, want_ settle in her mind. 

"Kind of, the big problem with this is the concentration needed to see the chakra _that_ clearly, the fact that _only_ chakra infused ink would be seen – which isn’t a very commonly used ink– and the limited distance. I'm not sure how far she would be able to see, but it does include a seal used to help boost _some_ clarity and range. But, as we don't have a proficient sealer, for now it's up to Ren-chan."

 _What are seals? Like sealing someones bending?_ Toph remembered that word from the argument weeks ago. But did't have time to ask just yet, because her grandma finally turned towards her.

"Ren-chan, Do you want to try this? It's going to be hard, and it might take a long time." Himari thought for a moment, "It might be too early right now, maybe later we'll revisit it." She sounded genuinely supportive.

But.  
Was that a challenge? Too hard? Too early? Her grandmother knew her well enough by now to know which buttons to push, and judging by the twitching of her lips, Etsuko knew what she was doing too.

"I'll learn it." She said firmly. No room for failure, she would do it, even if it took years.

Then, before they could change the subject, "What are seals?" She asked curiously.

Both women stilled for a moment, contemplative, before Etsuko answered. " Seals are a type of jutsu used to store objects, living beings, chakra, or anything really, within another object. Or to cause certain affects, like paralysis, or an explosion. They are typically written on slips of paper, or other surfaces, sometimes they can be tattooed." Himari continued their little lesson. "Some common seals are storage scrolls, and explosion tags. Pretty self-explanatory, you store objects into the scroll, and the tag explodes. Actually-" She paused, looking around. "Here you go." Etsuko said, handing her a scroll.

"Thank you, now, may I see your cup Ren-chan?" She asked holding out her hand. Curious, Toph held up her empty cup, letting it be taken and focusing on her grandmother. 

She unrolled a section of the scroll on the table. "Feel this. The cup is on the scroll. Now-" Toph saw the chakra flow to her hand, twist and-there was a puff of air, and Toph could feel that the cup was no longer there. Taking her hand, her grandma had her touch the spot the cup use to be. "It's not. Storage scrolls are very handy, especially on missions." She said, and with another twist of chakra the cup was back.

Another thing to learn, Toph decided. 

( _But that didn't explain why Akari had spoken of them being sealed. Why she said it like it was a death sentence._ )

* * *

Dai was having a great week. His wonderful little Mei had returned the nunchaku with- she had explained- stylized elemental symbols. Then he had spent the next day with his wonderful son, who had been overjoyed with his present, wasting no time to try it out in his training. He had tried to convince Toph to join them, but she claimed she had a lesson and would be busy all day. Dai was sure she just didn't want to intrude, as she hadn't yet met his son. He would have to fix that.  
The previous day had been filled with simple missions, running errands, and getting groceries for the rest of the week. 

Dai was just leaving the Hokage building, after turning in his mission reports, when he bumped into someone walking in. 

Looking up, Dai quickly noticed the other had dark shoulder length hair, dark eyes, and the signature high collar of the Uchiha clan. Closer inspection revealed him to be the Uchiha who had helped Toph _that night_. He hadn't seen him since the time he had been searching for Toph, and only heard about a visit to the Hyuuga compound. He hadn't heard much else from the shinobi grapevine. ( _Shinobi were awful gossips, the only good part of it was that news traveled fast. Whether it was true or false._ ) 

"Excuse me, Uchiha-san! I didn't see you coming in." Smiling, Dai stepped to the side, letting the Uchiha pass. 

The Uchiha nodded at him, before scanning the room, sighing, and then turning back around to leave. 

"Do you need assistance with something?" Dai asked, wanting to help out his comrade. 

The Uchiha glanced at him, irritation flashing for a second, before being buried behind fatigue. "It's nothing of concern. I was hoping to find my cousin, but it seems they already departed." He trailed off, and at Dais attentive look, launched into a rant.

"We're being swamped in missions, I haven't had a full nights sleep in weeks. They're not even critical missions, the village has to show that the attack didn't hurt, but they're not sending out many Uchiha, so the rest of us are stuck doing in-village missions." He huffed, starting to walk away. Continuing when Dai followed. It seems he was playing counselor today.

"Not to mention our clan head has us doubling our patrols. And now there's been word about trying to relocate us to the _edge of the village_ for _no reason_.

He paused, realizing he may have spoken too much. Then settled into a glare, muttering one last thing. "And I still can't find the little Hyuuga brat."

Oh.  
Dai couln't help him there. Toph had said not to let anyone connect Ren to Toph. 

But. She did say it was their prank, that he could let the Uchiha know that he knew her. Just don't reveal that Toph-chan was Hyuuga Ren.

Making sure to remember to use Ren, instead of Toph, Dai asked. "By 'Hyuuga brat', did you mean Ren-chan?"

The Uchiha stiffened at the name, before seeming to remember that Dai had been the one to help out during the attack. "Yes, the Hyuuga kid, The Hyuuga won't let me into the compound, and I haven't been able to find them outside yet."

Suppressing a laugh, Dai said, "Well, you wouldn't find Ren-chan out today, he did say he'd be busy." And had to use all his will power to keep his smile innocent and questioning when the Uchiha froze. 

Head slowly turning towards him, gaze intent, eyes almost tinting red.

"What." It was flat. Not really a question, more of a short demand for answers.

He couldn't really help out with his comrades other problems, but maybe he could distract him from them.  
_He'd never seen an Uchiha react like that. This was kind of fun, is this why people did pranks?_

* * *

Toph never really explored the Hyuuga compound. She only walked around her home, or tunneled her way out. Lately grandma Himari and Etsuko would walk her through the compound, but they only went straight for the gates, never lingering.

With a proud clan, it was best not to linger. 

The only good thing about her distance from her clan, was that, besides a few people, not many knew what the blind Hyuuga looked like. 

So, with her parents on missions and grandma Himari out to buy ink, Toph decided to explore. Making sure to physically avoid anyone, she figured it should be fine. So long as she didn't wander too far from her home, or into the crowded areas.

Walking around the nearby training ground (not being used at the moment), Toph could feel the scattered, lost weapons, loose change, and random cracks and breaks in the ground from the shinobi training new attacks. Letting everything sink into the ground, she gathered it into a pile and brought it up near her. Kneeling, she sorted through her findings. 

All the weapons were organised by size, Kunai, shuriken, ninja wire, and senbon. The money by amount, only coming up to pocket change, but more than she had previously. 

Any chipped or broken weapons were molded into metal bars. Once that was done, she kept one bar, and let the rest sink back into the earth, letting in fall farther than before, and joining her stash of other training ground remains.

Continuing on her walk, she absentmindedly played with the metal in her hands while keeping watch on her surroundings. Separating the bar into thirds. Using two pieces she made two bracelets, and kept the third piece in her hands to mold. 

Letting her feet guide her, she made a spiral, a cube, a lotus. Then a pole, just to see how thin she could stretch the metal. Finally settling on a small ball that she slipped into her pocket for later.

She noticed she had ended up near the larger residential houses, when she felt someone down the path ahead of her, heading in her direction. Keeping her head down, she focused on the man. He had dark steel gray chakra, the edges tipped in black. He seemed to be older than her grandmother, and had _stern, authority_ radiating off him. 

Keeping her head down, she passed the man. Planning to forget him, Toph started walking towards her home, but was stopped when the man turned towards her and snapped. 

"Wait." His voice was as stern as she had felt, and it made something rear up in her gut.

Turning towards him, she stayed where she was, not planning on moving any closer.

Toph felt the man narrow his eyes, lips curling. "Has no one taught you manners, _girl_." He sneered. 

"You're meant to bow to your superiors." He said condescendingly, obviously expecting her to follow his _correction_.

Toph just stood still. She didn't bow. Not to others. Not without them giving her a _reason_ to respect them. She didn't know who this dunderhead was, and she definitely didn't respect him. 

She could feel him tense, moving forward, and anger rising. He reached out, tightly grabbing her shoulder, and Toph had to focus on stopping the earth from spiking around her. 

Luckily his hand was quickly pulled away, and a different hand, small and firm, pulled her behind them. Positioning herself in front of Toph, Grandma Himari planted her feet and kept her eyes locked on the man. 

"Itsuo-san." She said lowly, voice like ice.

He looked between them, seemingly making the connection, before sneering again. "This your granddaughter, _Himari-san_? Is she senseless as well as blind?" 

He barely got the words out before her grandma took a step towards him, anger filling her. 

She couldn't do anything else however, as the man had raised his hand, forming a seal and holding it.

Toph didn't know what it did, but it sent her grandmother to a kneeling position, body tense and a choked off scream registering through her brain as her _grandmother_ shuddered.

Surging forward to see what was happening to her grandma, she felt her hands clutching at her head, and harsh breaths biting back anymore noises. Something was burning brightly on her forehead, chakra seeming to converge and _attack itself_. 

Focusing back on the man, Toph saw him release the seal, letting his hand fall. In that same moment, her grandma dropped like a puppet with its strings cut. 

Sniffing, the man ( _Itsuo-san_ ) turned away, leaving with the final words, "Shameful. Remember your place. Threatening a member of the main branch." 

Holding her grandmas head in her lap, Toph had to convince herself not to commit homicide in the middle of the Hyuuga compound. The earth making nearly imperceptible tremors around her. 

Hands grabbing her made her jump, control slipping and the earth taking its chance to send one spike up at her attacker from behind. 

Only to stop an inch from _Etsukos head_. 

Not realizing she almost died, Etsuko held onto her shoulders, talking to her. But Toph couldn't hear her, everything was starting to get muffled. She made a motion with her hand, as if swiping away Etsukos hands, to make the earth quietly sink back down, leaving nothing to show it was there. The movement making her shoulder twinge, the sharp pain clearing her head. She must have another bruise.

Trying to focus on Etsuko, Toph realized she had let go of her and was now lifting up her grandma. Calling her name, Etsuko made sure she had her attention, before gesturing for her to follow. 

Absentmindedly, Toph did. Distantly noting familiar roads and recognizing the way back home. She focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Until she saw wood panels under feet, signaling that she was home. 

Gentle hands on her shoulders made her look up. Etsuko was there, kneeling in front of her ( _like her grandmother_ ), shaking her head, Top focused on Etsuko, finally making out what she was saying. 

"-en-chan. I put Himari to bed, she'll be fine after getting some rest. You should get some rest too, Don't worry about Himari, I'll keep an eye on her." 

Slowly nodding, she let Etsuko lead her to her room, "Will you be fine by yourself? Or do you want me here?" She asked in her doorway. 

Toph was fine. _She would be fine._ Besides she wanted someone to watch over her grandma, and Toph knew she couldn't. Not right now.

So, she shook her head, gently pushing Etsuko towards her grandmas room, and closed her door. 

Toph heard Etsuko sigh, before making her way to her grandmas room.

Good. Now Toph _needed_ to _leave_.

* * *

Hearing a knock at the door, Dai went to answer it, wondering who it could be this late. His son wouldn't knock and they didn't really have anyone else to visit them. Unless it was Uchiha-san? 

After an interrogation, where he spoke of a couple meetings with Toph in the most round about way, the Uchiha had asked why he called the boy with 'chan', and Dai had answered "Because Ren-chan is adorable!" and had gotten a strange look in return. Then the Uchiha had apparently had enough and determinedly walked into a bar, intent on drinking as much as he reasonably could while still being able to function. 

Opening the door, he felt his gut clench when he saw Toph standing there, pale, and without her glasses for once. "Toph-chan?" 

What was she doing here? At night? It was January! And while the fire country never got too cold, it was still chilly and she wasn't dressed for the weather in her simple pants and baggy t-shirt. She didn't even have shoes on!

She looked up at her name, and Dai saw her eyes were glazed over. "Toph-chan, what's wrong? What happened?" 

He placed a hand on her back to gently guide her inside. Closing the door, he knelt down to her level, "Toph-chan?"

He watched as her breath seemed to quicken, before rushing forwards to bury her face in his shoulder, body slumping and going limp. 

"Toph-chan!" He exclaimed, catching her before she fell over. Dai could feel her breathing starting to even out, and wondered what was going on.

But first, "Toph-chan? Toph." Feeling her head tilt towards him, he continued, "Are you alright?" A pause, then a small nod. Relief flooded through him, but he still worried over what had caused her to come to him this late. 

Dai stood up, holding her close, and headed to his room. He wanted the story, but it could wait for the morning, already she was dozing.

He set her down on the bed, and she immediately slumped over. He made sure she wouldn't fall off, and noticed her pants were dirty.

"Toph-chan, do you want to change?" He asked, it took her a moment to respond, but a small nod sent him searching through his closet for something she could wear.

After a few minutes he unearthed an old green t-shirt, holding it up triumphantly he went back to Toph, still in a light doze. 

"Do you want to change yourself?" Receiving a nod, he set the shirt down beside her and turned around. Hearing the shuffle of clothing and a slight hiss, Dai forced himself to wait.

Feeling a small tug on his shirt, he turned around, only to freeze at the bruise he saw peeking out of the shirt falling off her shoulder. 

He wanted to ask. He _should_ ask. But her head was already dipping, her grip slack, and he decided it could wait til morning.

"Do you want to sleep by yourself? Or with me?" He knew she didn't really like a whole lot of touching, but she had come to him and he had to ask. If she didn't want him here, he would sleep on the couch, no problem. 

She seemed to think about it for a minute, before the grip on his shirt returned, tugging again. 

Nodding, he picked her up again, moving to the top of the bed and pulling the blankets back. Settling down, he set her on the edge, so she could leave if she wanted. 

Pulling the blankets up, Dai stretched, reaching over to turn off his lamp and trying to get comfortable. A minute later he felt Toph curl up next to him, one hand reaching out to grab his shirt.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I headcannon that the Uzumaki were the original crazy inventors of the naruto world. And only survived as long as they did with the help of seals, their natural longevity/life force, and stubbornness.
> 
> I'm not trying to criminalize the Hyuuga, but most clans have a few very strict, rule bound elders. This one also happens to have a grudge against Himari.
> 
> Also I'm thinking about switching Duy and Guy to Dai and Gai, any problems or comments with this? I now I'm already six chapters in and it might be annoying to switch up the spelling, but I figured I already use the honorifics, I may as well use the Japanese spelling too, right?

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Toph Beifong in Blind Mans Bluff Fan art](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27074608) by [PASSWORD_1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PASSWORD_1/pseuds/PASSWORD_1)




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